Better Luck Next Time Launch and Giveaway

Here we are again, with Phase Two of the launch for Better Luck Next Time!

First, a bit of housekeeping.

1. A couple of weeks ago, I told you that the book was live early on my store, but it has been pulled down from there now. Now, however, it is live on Amazon Kindle Unlimited for your reading pleasure.
2. We had a previous drawing for copies of the ebook, and the winners are:
   Jan DeVries
   Neville Withington
   Contact me at Author@AlixJames.com and I’ll arrange your gift copies!
3. I also mentioned a second giveaway, and I’m so glad you came back, because I’m giving away 3 $10 Amazon Gift Cards. You can go buy MORE books! Who doesn’t love that? Share in the conversation for a chance to win! And if you share this post and tag me on Facebook, I’ll count that as a second entry! Max two entries per person, please. I only have so many fingers to count with.

This was the first time I have written about Elizabeth being of elevated rank. It was also my first “Darcy lost Pemberley” venture… I think. Memory fails at some point! 

What was fun to me about writing this story is that I got to play with all of Elizabeth’s natural gifts, as well as her flaws, under a microscope. Being the only daughter of a marquess, with a mostly absent mother and a fairly distracted father, she really did whatever she wanted. The usual parental failings we see for her are magnified here, but she is still, at her heart, a compassionate, funny, unique woman.

She’s just never been told “no” in her entire life.

Contrast that with Darcy, who pairs his usual compelling sense of duty and honor with the fact that his family has fallen from grace. It was a big, scandalous fall, too, one that still scalds him to this day. But he has a bit of a unique position in the world because of it. Can you imagine anyone with the audacity to speak with sarcasm to the Prince Regent, and be praised for it? Darcy has that kind of aura, but he’s also got a big chip on his shoulder. And… well, you’ll have to read the story to find out the rest.

It was a fun role-reversal story for me to write, and I hope you enjoy watching the fish-out-of-water Lady Elizabeth trying to survive Mama Bennet! But I think one of my favorite dynamics in this status-flipped story was Mr. Darcy’s friendship with Mr. Bennet. You’ll have to let me know what you think!

I’m leaving you with one last sneak preview from the book (and if you want to read the previous one, it’s HERE.)

Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win!

Preview from Chapter Sixteen

The afternoon sun hung high in the sky, gilding the rolling fields with gold as Elizabeth and Jane climbed a gentle slope. The scent of fresh earth and wildflowers filled the air, a soft breeze tugging at their bonnets and loosening stray curls from their pins. It was the kind of afternoon that begged for idleness.

Which was precisely what they intended.

Jane spread out their provisions—a bit of bread, some cheese, and a few apples—on a cloth laid over a clean patch of grass while Elizabeth flopped down unceremoniously beside her, stretching her legs in the sunlight.

“Well,” she sighed contentedly, lacing her fingers behind her head, “I think we have made our escape most admirably.”

Jane gave her a knowing look. “You mean you have spirited me away to avoid Mr. Collins.”

Elizabeth cracked one eye open. “I consider it a service to my dearest friend.”

Jane laughed, shaking her head as she tore a piece of bread in half. “He is… an odd sort of man, is he not?”

“He is a plague upon the good name of cousinhood.”

“That is unkind.”

“That is entirely accurate.” Elizabeth rolled onto her side, propping herself up on one elbow. “I can see already what the man wants, and it is not tea in the sitting room.”

Jane chewed her lower lip and looked away. “It… it would make sense, Mama says. After all, I have no other prospects at hand, and he is eligible…”

“Tell me truly, Jane—do you think you could ever tolerate a man like that?”

Jane fiddled with the edge of their picnic blanket. “It is not a question of tolerating, I think, but of what must be done.”

Elizabeth frowned. “That is a most troubling answer.”

Jane merely smiled. “I am practical, Lizzy.”

Elizabeth huffed. “You are too gentle-hearted by half.” She plucked at a stray blade of grass, twirling it between her fingers. “You deserve a man who will admire you properly. Who will see you for the treasure you are.”

Jane gave a small laugh, shaking her head. “And where, pray, is such a man to be found?”

Elizabeth smirked. “Well, if I had to wager a guess… I believe we both know a certain gentleman who has been utterly charmed by your presence, whether or not you choose to acknowledge it.”

Jane stiffened slightly. “Elizabeth—”

“Oh, Jane, do not try to deny it.” Elizabeth sat up, brushing a stray curl from her cheek. “You are quite certain that Mr. Bingley has no intention of marrying at all, but I have seen the man in company. And I tell you now, he is precisely the sort of man who wishes for a wife.”

Jane let out a small, skeptical laugh. “And how would you know such a thing?”

Elizabeth raised a brow. “Because men like him are never content on their own. He is too affable, too eager to please. The sort of man who delights in pleasing others generally wishes for someone special to please.”

Jane blushed deeply.

Elizabeth grinned. “You see? I am right, am I not?”

Jane looked down, smoothing the folds of her gown with unnecessary focus. “It does not matter if you are right. I do not think he sees me that way.”

Elizabeth scoffed. “You hide it too well.”

Jane looked up, confused. “Hide what?”

Elizabeth leaned forward conspiratorially. “Your heart, Jane. If a man has any inclination toward you, he must first be assured that you return it—or else he will turn away in doubt. A little encouragement does no harm.”

Jane bit her lip. “But I have told you, I do not know how.”

Elizabeth considered this. “Well, if none of our other ideas seem workable, then you must take inspiration from your sisters.”

Jane’s expression turned faintly horrified. “Lydia and Kitty? But you said I might not… I… do not think I could.”

“You could.” Elizabeth nudged her playfully. “You simply need a bit of practice.”

Jane gave her a sidelong glance. “And tell me, Lizzy, are you in the habit of practicing such things yourself?”

She shrugged, feigning ease. “Certainly not. I have no use for such artifice.”

“No use? Not even for a certain gentleman with striking blue eyes and a rather unfortunate tendency toward brooding?”

“Who… you cannot mean Mr. Darcy?”

Jane laughed. “Do not pretend you have not noticed him.”

“Oh, I have noticed him, I assure you. But not, I think, in the way you mean.”

Jane tilted her head. “He is rather handsome, though, is he not?”

Elizabeth pulled a face. “Terribly, almost painfully so. A pity he can hardly afford to feed himself, let alone a wife.”

Jane swatted her arm. “Elizabeth!”

“Well, it is true.”

Jane sighed. “He seems… honorable.”

Elizabeth hesitated.

That was… true, was it not? For all his frustrating ways, for all his cold, infuriating arrogance, he was—undeniably—principled.

Steady.

A man of unwavering conviction.

And dreadfully, excruciatingly handsome.

Elizabeth scowled at herself.

Jane watched her curiously. “What are you thinking?”

Elizabeth shook herself from her thoughts. “That we have wasted quite enough breath on Mr. Darcy. Let us find a more pleasant subject, shall we?”

Jane smiled softly. “Like how I am to ensnare Mr. Bingley?”

Elizabeth grinned. “Precisely.”

The laughter between them came easily after that, their worries momentarily forgotten in the golden warmth of the afternoon.

The midday sun glared down over Meryton, though it did little to ease the chill that had settled deep in Darcy’s chest. He was barely aware of his surroundings as his horse pounded over the dirt road, hooves kicking up dust in his desperate haste.

Elizabeth was not in Meryton.

Elizabeth was not with the Bennets.

Elizabeth was not anywhere she was meant to be.

He had been ready to believe she had simply deceived everyone—that she had gone somewhere else entirely, careless as ever—but now… now he was back to believing something far worse.

Had someone got to her first?

The thought sent a bolt of fear through him, sharp and searing. His grip tightened around the reins, knuckles pale. No. It could not be. She was too clever, too blasted independent, too—

Well. If anyone took her, they would return her rather promptly. Of that, he was… at least somewhat confident.

Darcy pulled his horse up sharply beside the coaching inn, barely allowing the beast to settle before swinging himself down. His coat was still dusted from the road, his gloves dirty from the reins, but he barely noticed.

Inside the small post office, two men stood talking. One was the innkeeper, an elderly man with thin gray hair and spectacles perched on the end of his nose. The other was a footman in faded livery, a parcel tucked under his arm.

“…wouldn’t have believed it, but I saw it with my own eyes,” the footman was saying. “Three men, just standing there by the corner, watching. Not speaking. Just… waiting.”

Darcy’s pulse kicked up. “Excuse me, but… who?”

Both men turned, startled by his sudden presence.

The footman hesitated. “Sir?”

“Who were they watching?” Darcy demanded, stepping forward.

The innkeeper gave him a bemused glance. “Mr. Darcy, I am sure it was—”

“Tell me.”

The footman shifted his weight, glancing at the innkeeper before returning his gaze to Darcy. “Well, sir… I do not know exactly. But it seemed to me they were paying particular attention to the ladies out shopping this morning.”

A cold dread settled in Darcy’s stomach.

Elizabeth.

“Describe them,” he ordered.

The footman blinked. “Dark coats, looked like London men. Not officers—no regimentals—but they didn’t belong here. Too quiet, too still. I only saw them for a moment before they disappeared down an alley, but I could not shake the feeling that they were… looking for something. Or someone.”

Darcy’s mind reeled. If men had been in town watching… had they followed her? Had she been taken before he even knew to look? His body was rigid, his stomach twisting violently.

No. No, he would not let himself believe it.

His voice was tight when he spoke. “Where did you last see them?”

The footman hesitated before nodding toward the northern road. “Headed that way.”

Toward Longbourn.

Darcy did not wait. He was out the door in an instant, swinging himself atop his horse with a forceful motion. The beast, sensing his urgency, barely needed a nudge before launching forward, tearing down the lane in a blur of dust.

His heart pounded in his ears.

Let her be there. Let her be safe.

He had been too slow in everything—too slow to uncover the plot, too slow to find Alice, too slow to realize the danger Elizabeth still faced.

He would not be too slow this time.

The road between Meryton and Longbourn was mercifully quiet, save for a few farm carts making their sluggish way back from market. Darcy scanned every face, every movement. If someone had taken her—if someone had so much as touched her—

He gritted his teeth, forcing the thought away.

Just as he was coming over a ridge, he spotted an older man trudging along the side of the road. One of Longbourn’s tenants, judging by his well-worn clothes and slow, steady gait.

Darcy pulled up alongside him without hesitation.

“Sir.” His voice was rough, urgent. “Have you seen Miss Bennet?”

The man looked up, squinting against the sunlight. “Eh?”

“Miss Elizabeth Bennet,” Darcy ground out. “Or her cousin, Miss Jane. Did you see them in Meryton today?”

The man frowned, scratching his head. “No, sir, not in Meryton.”

Blast.

“But I did see them walkin’ t’other way this mornin’,” the farmer added. “Took a parcel with ’em, looked like they meant to spend the day in the fields.”

Darcy’s breath stilled.

The fields? Not Meryton. Not taken?

A rush of something—something overwhelming, something fierce—rose in his chest, nearly knocking the air from his lungs. He had gone from cold terror to relief so quickly that he felt almost ill from it.

He had not lost her.

Not yet.

He could barely trust himself to nod his thanks to the man before spurring his horse forward once more, now tearing toward the pastures.

The last of their apples had been eaten, the crumbs of their meager luncheon scattered by the wind. The sun was pleasantly warm, the breeze cool, and Elizabeth was feeling, for the first time in days, a sense of peace. Jane was finally laughing at all the funny ways she had conjured up to flirt with Mr. Bingley, finally letting herself hope. The world felt wide and open, stretching out before them with golden fields and endless sky.

And then—

A sharp movement at the crest of the hill.

Elizabeth twisted in the grass, shading her eyes against the sun. A lone rider had come upon them, his dark coat unmistakable even at a distance.

She blinked as her mouth dropped open.

Oh, surely not.

But yes, yes, there he was. Darcy dismounted in one swift, fluid motion, his boots hitting the grass hard enough to make an audible thump, even at this distance. His movements were tightly controlled, but she could see it—the wrath boiling in his frame, the rigidity of his shoulders.

Something was wrong.

Beside her, Jane sat up. “Is that Mr. Darcy? What is he doing here?”

Darcy’s head snapped toward Jane as he closed the distance to them, as if only just registering her presence. He inclined his head in something resembling civility, but his gaze cut sharply back to Elizabeth almost immediately.

Her stomach twisted.

That look.

She knew that look.

Oh dear.

Better Luck Next Time went live in Kindle Unlimited yesterday, so it should be up in all timezones by now. I hope you enjoy it! Oh, and make sure to enter the giveaway. <3

-Alix